Igor Stravinsky

modernism

Alongside Schoenberg he is considered the most influential composer of the 20th century.

💡 Did you know? Stravinsky was the most versatile composer of the 20th century: he reinvented himself several times yet always remained unmistakably himself.

Russia

Born in 1882 near St Petersburg; he later became a French and finally a US citizen.

💡 Did you know? Over his life Stravinsky held Russian, French and US citizenship: a true cosmopolitan of exile.

The Rite of Spring

The Paris premiere descended into uproar and scuffles: today it is a classic.

💡 Did you know? The 1913 Paris premiere of „The Rite of Spring“ caused an uproar: the audience booed, whistled and brawled over the brutal rhythms and „pagan“ plot.

Firebird, Petrushka, Rite of Spring

All three were written in just three years (1910 to 1913) for Paris.

💡 Did you know? His three early ballets for the Ballets Russes made Stravinsky the most famous young composer in the world within a few years.

Sergei Diaghilev

Diaghilev's Paris company revolutionised ballet: Stravinsky supplied the music.

💡 Did you know? The brilliant impresario Sergei Diaghilev commissioned „The Firebird“ from the still-unknown Stravinsky: launching a world career.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Stravinsky had previously studied law to please his family.

💡 Did you know? The master of orchestral colour Rimsky-Korsakov taught the young Stravinsky privately: brilliant orchestration remained his trademark.

neoclassicism

'Pulcinella', 'Oedipus Rex', the 'Symphony of Psalms': old forms in modern dress.

💡 Did you know? After his wild Russian phase, Stravinsky surprisingly turned to cool, clear „neoclassicism“: music in the spirit of the 18th century.

twelve-tone technique

Only after Schoenberg's death did the septuagenarian take up his old rival's technique.

💡 Did you know? Even as an old man Stravinsky surprised everyone by adopting the twelve-tone technique of his rival Schoenberg: which he had rejected for decades.

USA

He lived in Hollywood among writers and film stars; he became a US citizen in 1945.

💡 Did you know? After spells in Russia and France, Stravinsky spent his last decades in the USA, mostly in Hollywood.

Good composers do not borrow, they steal

The aphorist helped himself with virtuosity: from Pergolesi to jazz.

💡 Did you know? He even wrote a 'Circus Polka' for the elephants of the Barnum & Bailey circus.

Venice

Near his old companion Diaghilev. He had died in New York in 1971, aged 88.

💡 Did you know? At his own wish, Stravinsky was buried in Venice: on the cemetery island of San Michele, near his patron Diaghilev.